Nature clicks #229 - Nashville Warbler

 

I still have a backlog of photos that I like to show you here in the blog. Not so much because of image quality but I like to wrap up my series about the warblers that we have seen in our woods in May. The Nashville Warbler is one of them. I had three sightings between May 12, and May 19 2014 but none of them ended with a photo that I’m halfway satisfied with. I just could not get it sharp. The photo may work here in the blog but if I would try to make a larger print there is just not enough sharpness.

It was the first time that we saw this bird but I guess we have to wait until next year, or maybe the migration in the fall, to make a photo with a little more detail. For now we are at least happy that we have seen the Nashville Warbler, the jinx is broken ;-) …

Rewarded patience

 

I haven’t been out shooting for the last two days. A busy work schedule and another, not photography related project needed to be finished. At least there are a lot of things left from the last three weeks that I can post.

The big wave of warblers that came through here during there migration is history but some of the warblers stay here in Iowa during the summer. The Yellow Warbler is one of the most widespread warblers in North America during the summer, which does not really mean you can find it at every other corner. However, last weekend, after making the photos of the Cliff Swallows, I spent some more time in the Little Maquoketa Valley. The public trail that follows the valley was an old railroad track and is now used for all kinds of recreation activities. Having mostly private land on both sides, that is usually zoned by a barbed wire fence, doesn’t really allow to follow a bird very far, unless it stays near the trail. After spotting two Yellow Warblers a couple times at the same location I simply put the tripod legs in the ground and waited for another opportunity. Finally my patience was rewarded. The fence prevented to get closer but I believe this environmental portrait of the warbler tells the story about the lush growth that takes over the bird’s summer habitat.

Nature clicks #219 - Orange-crowned Warbler

 

When I have a first sighting of an animal I try to make my research about the species with several sources to make sure the critter is correctly identified. Sometimes the photo doesn’t reveal all the distinguishing marks and some doubt is left. It took me a while to draw a conclusion about the Orange-crowned Warbler but now I believe that’s what it is. Many warblers have a variety of color patterns and females and immature birds can look totally different than the male adults.

The photo was made right after a rain shower under low light conditions and revealing the colors required fill flash again. The Orange-crowned Warbler has its breeding grounds in the western part of the US and almost all Canada. The Mississippi Valley is an important migration route for the northern subspecies and so it is no surprise that we have seen it here last week.

Nature clicks #218 - Blackpoll Warbler

 

I’m glad and thankful that you came back to my blog even if I have almost nothing posted but photos and stories about warblers recently. It was an exciting week with many sightings during their migration to the breeding grounds up north or just because of their arrival, since some will stay here in Eastern Iowa during the summer.

The Blackpoll Warbler was another first sighting for us. We saw males and females feeding on little insects for three days. The two shots of a male are pretty much what I saw, with just a slight cosmetic crop. The female image is a long stretch. It is not tack sharp and I had to crop a little more because I couldn’t get close enough. My blog is not just a portfolio platform for the best of my photography, it is also about sharing biological facts or giving hints about wildlife locations. This is why you have sometimes to put up with a shot that is not so great, but still tells a story within the story. This is what the photo of the female Blackpoll Warbler is about today…

Nature clicks #217 - Cape May Warbler

 

The last week taught us again how much we are blessed with the location where we live. Today we counted the 70th bird species that we saw here around our house on top of the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa Valley near Durango, Iowa. No, this post is not about today’s discovery, this has to wait for another blog post :-) .We know the close proximity of the Mississippi River plays a role in having this large variety of wildlife. The Mississippi is a highway for migrating birds but even all the species that are here all year long, or just during the summer, make for a never boring time when it comes to wildlife.

My “warbler week” series continues with the beautiful Cape May Warbler. I have seen this species last spring for a fraction of a minute. My 2013 shots were all blurry and I wondered if I will see this bird again. Last Tuesday came my chance. I saw the warbler from my office window, run outside, and shot like a maniac for a few minutes. We saw it later again but I never got this close a second time.

Rule #1 in wildlife photography is, if the eye is not sharp the image goes to the trash can or at least will not be published. Sometimes I keep a blurry photo just for the sake of identification and documentation within my own photo library. But there is always an exception to any rule and this is what this photo is about. I caught the moment when the Cape May Warbler was about to swallow a tiny little insect that looks like it was glued to it’s tongue. The body of the bird is sharp and the head in its extremely fast movement really tells the story how fast these warblers move and pick up little insects from the leaves.

Nature clicks #216 - Chestnut-sided Warbler

 

If you stop here in my blog for the first time or haven’t been here for a while, this week it’s all about the warblers that came through here during their migration in the last few days. Today I’m happy to report another first sighting for us, the Chestnut-sided Warbler. It breeds in Canada from south-central Alberta east to Nova Scotia and in the US from the Great Lakes region to New England. They feed mostly on insects and some fruits (source: iBird PRO app, which I can highly recommend for any bird lover).

The photos I have shown recently were all made in “sniper mode”, means just a single click, one shot, no continuos shutter release. This is how it was in the days of film, when nobody would rip through with 6 frames per seconds or even faster. One reason why I do this is the recycle time of the speed light that I use for some fill flash, to let the colors pop even in low light conditions. The other reason is that I try to shoot at the peak of action, the short moment when the warbler may stop for a fraction of a second before it makes the next move. Most warblers feed on small insects that they pick from underneath the fresh leaves and they are constantly on the move and seem never to stop. Sometimes you have to follow the bird with your lens while it is behind some branches or leaves. The short moment, when they enter a clear spot, without obstructive objects between them and the lens, is the moment when the shutter release button gets pressed. As you can imagine despite “sniper mode” some images will land finally in the trash can because focus was not obtained correctly or the bird was not even in the frame because the photographer was too slow… ;-)

“Warbler week” is not over yet, although I saw a lot less birds today from my office window, but I still have some more birds to show here in the blog. So please stay tuned…

Nature clicks #215 - Yellow Warbler

 

The Yellow Warbler is not just here in Eastern Iowa during migration time. We have seen them before in previous years during the summer but these are my first photos of this species where I had a chance to get close. Both photos were made in the early evening, right after a thunderstorm went through, two days ago. Using a speed light was necessary because there was really not much ambient light left. The raindrops on the branches and a little reflection here and there help to tell the story about this male Yellow Warbler, gleaning little insects while it still drizzled. I told you it would be a “warbler week” here in the blog, so please stay tuned if you like it…

Nature clicks #214 - American Redstart

 

I can tell you, this is going to be a “warbler week”. I continue this series with another warbler that we have seen before down in the valley but never in the woods around the house here. The first image shows a male American Redstart in its first spring. The tail with its yellow-orange patches makes it easy to identify. I wasn’t able to get that close to the male adult that you can see in the second image. I show this particular photo only for those who are interested in the biological facts, not because of the quality of this picture.

You can see that the younger bird from the first picture has still a long way to go before it looks like an adult, although it is pretty nice too. If I have a new species in front of my lens I take quite often lots of shots just for the purpose of identification. Even a butt shot can sometimes help to identify a bird later on screen and with the aid of books or bird guides. There is more to come, we had several more first sightings, so please stay tuned…

Nature clicks #213 - Magnolia Warbler

 

We were thrilled last week when we had another first sighting here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley. The Magnolia Warbler is probably one of the most beautiful birds that comes through here during migration time. It breeds from British Columbia across central Canada to the northeastern US and also in parts of the Appalachian Mountains.

We had several thunderstorms moving through the area today but the Magnolia Warbler kept gleaning insects even in the rain from the underside of the leaves, that just come out at the moment, or from bark crevices.

First warblers moving in

 

I spent an hour this evening to find the young Great Horned Owl in one of the numerous trees near the nest site but had no success. I wonder if the mother has called the owlet over to an island-like dam in the river, where I have seen her hunting while the young bird was still in the nest during the last couple weeks.

Later, while trying to capture one of the Tree Swallows or Barn Swallows, who fed on insects along the edge of Mud Lake, I suddenly discovered the first Yellow-rumped Warbler this year. It was the fifth rainy day in a row, cold and with gray clouds. Fill flash was agin the answer to reveal some colors. A little later I saw a couple Palm Warblers in the bushes along the Mississippi River. I made only one click of the Palm Warbler but the picture was not in focus. At least it helped me at home to identify the bird 100 percent. I really look forward for some warmer days and hopefully some more opportunities to see Warblers moving in from the south.